Um.
I can’t believe that these results are valid.
I happen to know the genetics behind Labrador color and Doberman color. (Doberman is American English always drops the second n. I don’t particularly like this.)
Nowhere in the genes for color of either of those breeds are there white dogs with brown spots. Albino Dobermanns are not truly white dogs. They are actually normal colored Dobermanns with albinism. You don’t get white dogs when you cross them with normally colored dogs. (Click here for more info).
And although some Dobermanns have something that approaches naturally erect ears, the addition of Labrador blood would mean that the ears would be floppy. Generally, Dobermans have very floppy natural ears.
I don’t see how this dog could be a Labrador/Dobermann cross.
I just don’t see it.
I don’t think it’s possible.
nah –
GSD x Pitbull, is my best guess; the pied coat, ears fold to a rose shape, both ears are colored / split face, haircoat a bit shortened especially the brush on the tail.
theres no B+T / L+T pattern, no solid body (most Lab-crosses are a Lab-color), no drop ears.
You cannot get a spotted dog from two breeds that don’t carry the genes for particolor.
I have long been tempted to run one of those tests on one of my Halfghans and see if I get an accurate result.
little, if any APBT in that dog.
white shepherd? maybe. Its ears are corgoid, IMO
Does it occur to them to use behavior as identifiers?
I’ve heard many people say those DNA tests are flaky at best.
What bothers me about this segment is that there is no questioning of the results. Anyone that knows anything about canine color genetics knows that two breeds that do not carry any sort of white markings could not produce a mostly white-with-spots dog and that two breeds that have floppy ears could not produce a prick eared dog.
From the little I’ve seen of these DNA test results for mutts is that there’s usually more than a few breeds listed with percentages. I’m guessing the show grabbed the two breeds with the highest percentage in the results (Lab & Doberman) but possibly there’s other breeds with smaller percentages included: maybe Siberian Husky (pied white is not uncommon in racing lines), Samoyed (many can have pale cream spots) or Collie or Akita.
I’m pretty skeptical of these DNA tests but depending on the other breeds listed, it “could” be possible: If a Lab mated with a prick eared, white factored mixed breed (say mostly Akita) and the Doberman mated with a prick eared, white factored mix breed (say mostly Collie) and a pup from each of those litters mated, then one could get a prick eared, patched white dog like Alaska whose parentage is mostly Lab & Doberman.
I’m still highly skeptical of the tests though. I’ve heard rumors of people testing obvious purebreds and getting bogus results but I haven’t heard any first person accounts. Does anyone know if this is a urban legend or has actually happened? I have smooth collies and I’m pretty darn confident that they are all collie but I’m not willing to spring for the cost of DNA testing just to see if the whole thing is bogus or not.
Some Dobermanns have natural ears like this: http://static.gotpetsonline.com/pictures-gallery/dog-pictures-breeders-puppies-rescue/doberman-pinscher-pictures-breeders-puppies-rescue/pictures/doberman-pinscher-0061.jpg
However, if you add Labrador, you’d have really floppy ears in the cross.
But a white dog with a few brown spots?
It is simply impossible that this dog has that ancestry.
One of the best dogs I ever had was a smooth collie / coyote cross. BadDog Bob. One of the smartest dogs I ever had the great good fortune to share my life with. He literally tried to talk, and his understanding of human speech was uncanny.
Is that a pit bull… or a Border Collie? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a4CDvK868w
I have a friend who tested her 20 lbs Spaniel-y looking thing and got some ridiculous result of setter x other large breed dog.
And then there’s this kind of nonsense, where a “pit bull” was DNA tested to avoid a ban, came back as “not a pit bull”, but now the city prosecutor wants to go after her anyway because after having tested his own dog, he doesn’t believe the results. Ridiculousness.
DNA tests are only as good as the people doing them–people make mistakes. I certainly think this is a mistake! My guess is German Shepherd(and a white one, too) and hound–like a Walker or foxhound cross–a very common boo-boo litter in this country–U. S. A.–(and they make great dogs, too!) where people in the rural areas have hounds for hunting(rarer and rarer, alas) and a GSD as a watch dog–I’ve seen crosses of this nature that look just like this dog! I’ve also heard that these private DNA tests for public consumption; for human genetics as well as dogs, are not very reliable, and a lot of fudging goes on–it’s all about volume and making that money, like any business–not scientific research, in other words. I pay attention to DNA results, certainly, but always with a grain of salt, and in conjunction with other evidence and information. NEVER believe ANYTHING based on one test alone, about ANYTHING!!!!
cjung has the best slant on this, I think. There may be some Doberman and some Labrador in the dog’s ancesty– but certainly there are other contributors as well. This DNA test has only 88 breeds (last I read, anyway) in its database, leaving 300 or so for which they have no data. Not to mention that if a dog is from several generations of random-bred animals, there may well be no “breed” to be identified. It would be amusing to send a sample from a couple of purebreds, preferably one of a common breed such as collie, and another from something exotic, such as a Leonberger or a Munsterlander.
For some really interesting stuff on cross-breeds, if you can find a copy of Stockard’s 1941 book (keyword: morphology of canines) it has some fascinating photos and information.
thanks for the reference M.R.S.
I am searching for it now on my Kindle.
http://www.archive.org/details/geneticendocrini00stoc
I’m going to have to do a post on this one.
That’s a fascinating study.
The photos are amazing.
The ugliest dogs are basset/bulldog crosses.
I am extremely skeptical of this type of DNA testing. I don’t think that people know nearly as much about DNA as we think we do. And this cinches it for me.
I don’t see any Doberman in this dog. Look how he carries his tail! That looks like a shepherd/husky cross (or just possibly collie/husky cross – although a rough collie cross would probably produce a shaggier coat in the mix). The coloring is within the range of collie colors; white collies usually have head markings, often with a white blaze, and one or two spots on the body. Of course, that pattern is also sometimes found in huskies. Maybe there’s some Lab in there somewhere; Labs are awfully common, same as are huskies, collies, and white shepherds.
I’d guess it has shepherd in it, probably white shepherd, and some kind of husky & probably collie too. Most mutts are not direct crossbreeds after all; there are usually numerous breeds in the history of any given mutt.
But a Lab x Dobe cross, this hyear jist ain’t.